Holidays to San Diego

Throughout California, San Diego has a reputation for reliably delivering Southern California’s distinct brand of the good life to you whilst on holiday. With year-round temperatures in the mid twenties, life is sunny in this easy-breezy surf-bum city, where a healthy outdoorsy spirit prevails, farmers markets are attended with religious fervour and yoga-hewn locals hotly debate where to get the best fish tacos in town.

The historic, well-preserved Old Town, dotted with original adobe buildings, offers a fascinating glimpse into the melding of Mexican and European cultural influences when the first European settlers made it to the West Coast. Tijuana is just 30km away and well worth a visit, throughout San Diego - from the buzzy Gaslamp Quarter downtown to the bayside resort of Coronado - Mexico’s proximity is visible in the architecture and the cuisine.

Hip North Park, just east of the 1,200-acre urban cultural district of Balboa Park, offers an eclectic blend of coffee shops, galleries, vintage stores and the city’s most dynamic restaurant row, 30th Street, enlivened by an innovative local craft beer scene. Meanwhile genteel La Jolla is renowned for pristine golden sands, luxurious hotels, Mediterranean-style architecture, the art deco Playhouse and a striking coastal setting, making it prime minibreak territory for well-heeled Los Angelenos.

Arguably California’s most liveable city, San Diego’s laidback vibe belies its status as America’s eight-largest city, but families and culture-craving citybreakers in particular reap the rewards of metropolitan charms, like the world-renowned zoo, Legoland, SeaWorld and the proliferation of museums and venues of Balboa Park.